Bywaters wins at NHS Sustainability Awards

On 17th May 2017 at Imperial College, South Kensington, the results of the NHS Sustainability Awards were announced; Bywaters, London’s largest NHS healthcare provider, is delighted to announce that Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust - working in partnership with Bywaters - was highly commended.

Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, another Bywaters customer, was shortlisted as a finalist in the Reuse category.

GOSH has significantly reduced the tonnage of bulk waste and waste electrical materials (WEEE) being disposed of every month through innovative means. By working with Bywaters’ account and sustainability managers, a significant number of good quality, unwanted items are being recycled to a network of charities through the use of an innovative recycling mobile app. It is envisaged that GOSH will save up to £20,000 per annum on disposal costs whilst helping charities such as The Salvation Army, EMMAUS, The Foodchain, CTR Europe and Groundwork, amongst many others. Multiple initiatives ensure that all GOSH’s waste streams are managed safely and efficiently.

Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust manages over 5,000 tonnes of waste per annum from its two busy London hospitals. Bywaters has been working with the Trust to help it cut costs by reducing overall waste, correcting material segregation and maximising recycling rates. Today the Trust’s 15,000+ staff receive ongoing training in responsible waste management and are aware of their personal impact on the environment. These messages are endorsed via news updates, reward programmes and signage.

Bywaters has also introduced an on-site weigh-bridge system that acts as a real-time auditing tool. Bar-coded bins reveal which wards generate high levels of waste so that waste managers can take steps to maximise recycling rates without diluting service quality, efficiency and compliance. Strategic bin placements throughout the wards have seen an increase in recycling diverted each month from circa 80 tonnes per month.

As a result of these, and other initiatives, the Trust received a 91% score on the Carbon Trust Waste Standard – the highest score ever achieved in both the private and public sectors.

Bywaters Head of Health & Sustainability, Ed van Reenen, presented the award in the Waste Category for which the business is the official Awards partner.